Sliding clip actuated pen

ABSTRACT

A writing instrument has a hollow barrel with a reciprocable writing cartridge that is normally retracted by a spring and that is extended to writing position by sliding the clip. The clip mechanically engages the cartridge to extend it, and the ball of the clip fits in a recess in the barrel surface to hold the cartridge extended. Opening the clip to clip the pen in a pocket releases this hold on the cartridge, and the spring retracts the cartridge sliding the clip with it. The clip is so attached that manual pressure on the clip end away from the ball rotates the clip to open it.

United States Patent Zepell 1151 3,652,172 [451 Mar. 28, 1972 [54]SLIDING CLIP ACTUATED PEN [72] Inventor: Nathan A. Zepell, 1359 SantaTeresita Drive, Santa Barbara, Calif. 93105 [22] Filed: Mar. 4, 1970[2]] Appl. No.: 16,352

Related US. Application Data [63] Continuation-impart of Ser. No.808,743, Mar. 20,

1969, abandoned.

[52] U.S.Cl. ..40l/l06,40l/l07,40l/l99 [5i] ..B43k 5/16, 843k 24/02 [58]Field oiSearch ..401/104-107 [56} References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTSFOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 738,695 10/1955 GreatBritain 40 1 /1 04Gimonet ..401/ 107 X 1,094,542 12/1954 France ..401/106 1,153,72310/1957 France.... ..401/105 130,503 10/1947 Sweden ..401/104 PrimaryExaminerLawrence Charles Attorney-Harris, Kiech, Russell & Kern I [57]ABSTRACT A writing instrument has a hollow barrel with a reciprocablewriting cartridge that is normally retracted by a-spring and that isextended to writing position by sliding the clip. The clip mechanicallyengages the cartridge to extend it, and the ball of the clip tits in arecess in the barrel surface to hold the cartridge extended. Opening theclip to clip the pen in a pocket releases this hold on the cartridge,and the spring retracts the cartridge sliding the clip with it. The clipis so attached that manual pressure on the clip end away from the ballrotates the clip to open it.

- 28 Claims, 26 Drawing Figures PATENTED MAR 2 8 m2 SHEET 2 OF 3 I llIIIIIL FIG.2O

INVENTOR. NATHAN 4. ZEPELL ATTORNEY SLIDING CLIP ACTUATED PEN Thisapplication is a continuation-in-part of my co-pending application Ser.No. 808,743, filed Mar. 20, 1969 now abandoned.

My invention relates to writing instruments wherein a cartridge isreciprocated within a hollow barrel to extend a writing tip for writingand to retract the writing tip when not in use. More particularly Iemploy the clip to actuate this cartridge and also to hold it in the tipextended position.

Sliding clips have been used for various purposes on different types ofwriting instruments. However, I employ a clip on a retractable cartridgetype of writing instrument to serve several functions. In addition tothe normal use of clipping over the edge of a pocket to retain theinstrument in a pocket, the clip engages the cartridge so that slidingthe clip in the direction of extending the writing tip places theinstrument in condition for writing. Additionally, the instrument isconstructed so that the ball of the clip is recessed in the barrel ofthe instrument to hold the writing tip in its writing position.

It is therefore a general object of the invention to provide an improvedwriting instrument having a sliding clip with the foregoingcharacteristics.

An important object of the invention is to provide a molded plasticpocket clip reinforced with metal, or other suitable material.

Other objects, advantages and features of the invention will be apparentin the following description and claims considered together with theaccompanying drawings forming an integral part of the application, inwhich:

FIG. I is an elevation view in full section showing an embodiment of theinvention when it is in the position for clipping in a pocket with thewriting tip upward and with the writing tip retracted inside of thebarrel;

FIG. 2 is an elevation view in full section of the pen of FIG. 1,showing it in a position for writing with the writing tip extended andwith the pen rotated 180 so that it will be in a position for writing;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view along the line of III-III of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view along the line IVIV of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is an elevation in full section of a modified form of theinvention wherein the clip is at the end of the pen remote from thewriting tip;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view along the line VI-VI of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is an elevation view in full section except for a central portionof the pen, showing a structure somewhat generally similar to FIG. 5except that the clip is secured to the pen barrel with a differentconstruction and engages the reciprocal cartridge in a different mannerand shows the cartridge extended for writing;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view along the line VIII-VIII of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a three dimensional fragmentary view of a pair of closurefingers which close over the retracted writing tip as shown at thebottom of FIG. 5 and which closure fingers are also shown in FIGS. I and7;

FIG. 10 is an elevation view in full section of still another modifiedform of the invention wherein the inter engagement of the clip and thecartridge is by means of a projection on the cartridge;

FIG. I l is a partial view in full section of the pen of FIG. 10,showing the relationship of the parts when the writing tip is retracted;

FIG. 12 is a fragmentary elevation view of the projection on thecartridge being engaged by the spring during the process of assembly;

FIG. 13 is a sectional view along the line 13-13 ofFIG. 10;

FIG. 14 is an elevation view on an enlarged scale of the inner side ofthe clip of FIGS. 10 and 11, showing the method of securing to it thefinger which has a cross slot for engaging the cartridge projection;

FIG. 15 is a three dimensional view of the slotted sleeve of FIGS. 10and 11 which receives the cartridge projection and showing the long slotin which the projection normally reciprocates;

FIG. 16 is an elevation view of a user's hand holding the pen of FIGS.10 and II and showing the writing tip extended and the user's indexfinger holding the ball of the clip in its recess to hold the tipextended;

FIG. 17 is an elevation view in full section of a modified form of theinvention wherein the clip is at the end opposite the writing tip (notshown) and showing the cartridge in a tip retracted position;

FIG. 18 is an elevation view in full section of the upper part of FIG.17, but showing the clip in a position wherein the writing tip (notshown) is extended;

FIG. 19 is an elevation view of the upper end of the writing instrumentof FIG. 18 but rotated on its longitudinal axis to show the clip inoutline;

FIG. 20 is a fragmentary view of a portion of FIG. 19 showing theaperture in the sidewall for receiving the ball of the clip but with theclip removed;

FIG. 21 is a cross sectional view taken on FIG. 18 along the line 21--21showing the method of bending ears on the inner end of the clip platesto hold the cartridge engager in position;

FIG. 22 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view illustrating stillanother and presently preferred embodiment of the writing implement ofthe invention;

FIG. 23 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view similar to FIG. 22,but showing a writing cartridge of the instrument in its extendedposition, the cartridge being retracted in FIG. 22;

FIG. 24 is'a fragmentary elevational view of the implement, as viewedfrom the right in FIG. 23; and

FIGS. 25 and 26 are transverse sectional views respectively taken asindicated by the arrowed lines 25-25 and 26-26 of FIGS. 22 and 23 of thedrawings.

Figs. 1 through 4 Referring to FIGS. 1 through 4, there is illustrated amodified form of writing instrument wherein the writing tip isprojectable and retractable at the end where the clip is located. Awriting instrument has a barrel portion 101 on one end and a barrelportion 102 at the clip end, both jointed together by a friction fitover an inner tubular body 103. The barrel 102 has an end opening 104through which may project a writing tip 106 on a cartridge 107 which ismounted for reciprocation inside the barrel 101-102. The tubular bodymember 103 has at its upper end (as viewed in FIG. I) and inwardlyprojecting flange 108 which guides a reduced section of the cartridge107 and against which bears a compression spring 109, the other end ofwhich rests on a shoulder 111 of the cartridge 107. The compressionspring 109 therefore acts to force the cartridge into the interior ofthe barrel, as illus trated in FIG. 1.

Referring now particularly to the barrel end 102 at the clip end of theinstrument 100, there is formed a mounting for the clip which includes apair of parallel slots 112 formed in barrel 102 through which projectear plates 113 formed on one end of a resilient clip 114. The other endof the clip may have a ball comprising one or more plates 1 16 which arerounded to have a ball shape. Preferably two such ball plates 116 areutilized as best illustrated in FIG. 4. The clip 114 has a sliding mounton the barrel portion 102, and this is accomplished by making the slotsI12 considerably longer than the inwardly projecting plates 113. Theinner ends of these inwardly projecting clip plates 113 have ears 115formed thereon, and these are bent toward each other to mechanicallygrip a retainer leaf spring 117 which bears on the inside surface of thebarrel portion 102. Connected to the leaf spring retainer 1 17 is a yoke1 l8, and this is preferably formed integrally with the leaf spring 117.The yoke 118 passes on each side of a reduced section 107b of thecartridge 107, and the cross section toward the writing tip 106 may beenlarged, as at 119, best shown in FIG. 3. In other words, the profileof the upper end of the cartridge 107 as viewed in FIG. 1 is uniform,but viewed at 90 to FIG. I, it has a much wider profile except for thereduced section 107b at which is formed a pair of shoulders which engagethe yoke. This permits the entire cartridge to be rotated 90 from theposition shown in FIG. 3 to pass the entire enlarged portion 119 betweenthe yoke members 118.

This permits the removal of a cartridge and the insertion of afresh-cartridge. The spring action retains the widened shape 119 inposition because the yoke plates 118 have a shallow notch 120 to receivethese shoulders of widened portion 119 of cartridge 107.

Provided particularly in accordance with the invention is a sidewallopening in the barrel member 102 adjacent to the clip 114 in the form ofa pair of sidewall slots 121. It will be noted in FIG. 2 that the ballplates 116 of the clip are passed through the slots 121, and the ends ofthese plates 116 engaging the ends of the slots 121 keep the writing tip106 projected against the compression of spring 109. In other words, theuser merely has to place a thumb or finger on the clip 114 and slide ittoward the end opening 104 to project the writing tip 106 outwardly. Theclip 114 is at the portion of the pen 100 that is normally gripped bythe fingers of the user. Accordingly, one or more fingers of the usermay hold the ball plates 116 in the slots 121 to keep the writing tip106 projected. The mounting of the clip to the barrel accordinglypermits rotation of the clip as well as sliding on the barrel.

When it is desired to retract the writing tip 106 the user merelypresses on the lower end of the clip 114 as viewed in FIG. 2, and thiscauses a clock wise rotation of the clip as viewed in that figure, tolift the ball plates 116 out of the slots 121, whereupon the compressionspring 109 retracts the writing tip. in this retracted position a pairof fingers 122 shown in the top part of FIG. 1 protect the tip 106, andthese fingers 122 will be described in more detail in connection withFIG. 9. These fingers 122 prevent any lint, or other small debris thatmight enter the hole 104 from contacting the writing tip 106, to therebysuck out ink to the damage of the user.

Modiciation ofFigs. s and 6 Referring now to FIG. there is illustrated amodification of the invention wherein the clip is located at the end ofthe pen opposite from the writing tip. This construction enables theclip to act directly on the end of the cartridge to project it,eliminating the necessity for any unusual cartridge configuration.Referring now to both FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, a barrel member 130 having anopening 131 through which a writing tip 132 may be projected, has athreaded section on its upper end to which a threaded member 133 isscrewed. An upper barrel member 134 is frictionally engaged by thisthreaded section 133, and this upper barrel member can also be referredto as a cap. Such threaded members are generally referred to asconnectors." This barrel 134 has a pair of slots 136 formed in thesidewall near the upper end and on the end towards the connector 133 hasanother pair of slots 137 formed therein. A clip 138 is mounted to-thebarrel 134 by means of a pair of clip plates 139 passing through theparallel slots 136. During manufacture the lower end of these plates 139are bent inwardly or outwardly at 141. The plates 139 are then insertedin the slots 136, and these bent ears 141 are misaligned with the slotsto retain the clip on the barrel 134 with a sliding action as best shownin FIG. 6.

The ball of the clip is formed by a pair of plates 142 which are of asize and spacing to fit into the sidewall slots 137, as the clip ismoved downwardly. The slip ears 141 engage the upper end of a cartridge143. At the lower end of the pen a compression spring 144 acts against ashoulder 145 on the cartridge 143, and the other end bears against afixed flange 146 to thereby urge the cartridge to the retracted positionillustrated in FIG. 5.

It will be noted from an inspection of FIG. 5 that the compressionspring 144 urges the cartridge 143 upwardly against the bent out ears141 on the clip 138. This causes a counter clockwise torque on the clip138 as the clip is forced to the upper ends of the vertical slots 136.When the clip is pulled downwardly so that the ball plates 142 fit inthe sidewall slots 137, this same torque acts on the clip to help keepthe balls 142 in the slots 137 and thereby tends to lock the writing tipin its extended position. Further it will be noted that the ball plates142 are a full semi-circle, or better, in outline, and thereby theypresent a fairly flat surface to the upper edge of the slots 137 tofurther act as a lock to keep the point projected. When it is desired toretract the tip, manual pressure is put on the uppermost part of theclip 138, causing it to pivot outwardly, so that the plates 142 arereleased from the sidewall openings 137. The compression spring 144 thenurges the cartridge 143 upwardly, sliding the clip with it to theposition illustrated in FIG. 5.

FIG. 9

Referring now particularly to the lower part of FIG. 5 and referringalso to FIG. 9, it will be noted that a cylindrical body member 150supports a pair of resilient, fingers 148 which have inwardly bentportions 147. These resilient fingers 148 normally close together, asviewed in FIGS. 5 and 9. When the cartridge 143 is moved downwardly bythe clip 138 of FIG. 5, a frusto-conical portion 143a of the cartridge143 engages these inwardly bent portions 147.and cause the fingers 148to diverge, as more clearly illustrated in FIG. 7. At no'time,

therefore, does the writing .tip 132 contact thefingers 148. When thebody member 150 is in a part of the pen near the clip, as in FIG. 1,part of the cylindrical body can be cutaway as shown in FIG. 9, to allowthe clip to move freely.

These closed fingers 148 prevent threads, lint, or other filamentarytype of materials from contacting the writing tip 132 in its retractedposition illustrated in FIG. 5. Such threads are commonly found in thebottoms of pockets into which a pen is placed or found in purses, andfrequently in purses there is also found cellulose tissue and otherfilamentary materials that would suck out ink to the damage of the user,if these fingers 148 are not provided.

Modification of FIGS. 7 and 8 The modification of FIGS. 7 and 8 issimilar in most respects to that of FIG. 5 except that the clip isfastened to the barrel with a built-in leaf spring so that the ballplates are held in the sidewall opening to maintain the writing tip inits projected position against the compression of a spring. A lower bodymember 151 has suitably connected to it an upper body member or cap 152and a cartridge 153 reciprocates within this two part barrel. Acompression spring 144a presses against a shoulder 153a on the cartridgeto urge the cartridge upwardly. The lower part of the barrel 151 mayretain a closure member identical to that described in FIG. 5 and alsoshown in FIG. 9.

Referring now to the upper part of FIG. 7 and to FIG. 8, a pair of slots156 are formed in the upper end of barrel member 152, and a clip 154 hasa pair of ears 160 that are bent over on their inner ends against anelongated leaf spring 158 to mechanically grip the leaf spring 158. Thiskeeps the clip and blade assembly in a slidable position in relation tothe upper barrel 152. The leaf spring 158 has a pair of inwardlyprojecting fingers 159 which bear against the upper end of the cartridge153. This leaf spring 158 presses against the inside of the upper barrel152 to cause the clip 154 to rotate in a counter clockwise direction, asviewed in FIG. 7, and this keeps a pair of ball plates 155 held withinslots 156 and the lower part of the barrel member 152. The spring 158thus acts to hold the writing tip at an extended position against thecompression of spring 144a.

The clip plates or ball plates 155 are removed from their slots 156 bypressing on the upper end of the clip 154, and this causes it to rotatein a clockwise direction, and when the plates are lifted out of the slotthe entire clip is manually moved upwardly by the compression spring144a.

Modification of FIGS. through 16 The modification of FIGS. 10 through 16employs a projection on the cartridge to engage the clip so that theclip can slide longitudinally of the pen to extend the point against thecompression of the retracting spring. A pen 160 has an upper barrel 161and a lower barrel 162 both frictionally engaging each other by means ofan internal tubular connector 163 and an ornamental ring 164 mayseparate these two barrel portions. Reciprocating within the tube barrelportions is a cartridge 166 having a shoulder 167 against which acompression spring 168 bears to normally retract the writing tip 169.The upper end of the compression spring 168 bears against a slottedsleeve 1 71 frictionally held within the barrel 161 to maintain astationary position. The cartridge 166 has a reduced diameter portion166a which has projecting therefrom a radial lug 172 providedparticularly in accordance with the invention.

Referring particularly to FIG. the sleeve 171 has bayonet slots formedtherein, including a vertical slot 173 open from the bottom, a parallelvertical slot 174 open from the top, and a cross slot 176. When thecartridge 166 is inserted in the pen, the cap 162 is removed, and theprojection 172 is pushed against the compression of spring 168 up theslot 173, and then is rotated to the right as viewed in FIG. 15 untilthe projection enters the vertical slot 174. The projection 172 on thecartridge normally reciprocates up and down in slot 174 as the cartridgeis moved from a projected position illustrated in FIG. 10 to a tipretracted position shown in FIG. 11.

The pen is provided with the clip 177 having lower ball plates 178 thatproject through slots 179 formed in the barrel section 161. As shownbest in FIG. 11, the lower end of the clip is formed at an inclinedangle as at 175. The upper end of barrel 161 has an end hole 181 throughwhich the writing tip 169 projects. The upper end of the barrel also hasa pair of parallel slots 182 through which top plates 183 on the clipproject. Secured to the inner end of these plates 183 is a verticalfinger 184 which has a slot 186 into which the cartridge projection 172is rotated. This finger 184 reciprocates in the vertical slot 174 in thesleeve 171. The clip plates 183 have a lower slit section 183a bentinwardly especially as shown in FIG. 14 to overlie portions of thefinger I84 and thereby retain it in position on these plates. Thisretaining action is assisted by having a reduced section 184a at theregion between the clip plates 183 best shown in FIG. 14.

The pen of FIGS. 10 through 16 may, if desired, have closure members onthe inside adjacent the tip hole 181, and these may be constructedgenerally similar to that of FIG. 9 and have a tubular base 187 fromwhich project a pair of closure fingers 188.

The method of assembly of the pen of FIGS. 10 through 16 is as follows.The tubular sleeve 171 is pushed into the lower barrel portion 162 andheld there by friction. Thereafter the cartridge 166 has a spring fittedover it, as shown in FIG. 12. Generally these springs are manufacturedin place on the cartridge, but if they are separately manufactured theymay be rotated to thread themselves over the cartridge projection 172.The compression spring will try to expand and will be held thereforebetween the projection 172, as shown in FIG. 12, and the cartridgeshoulder 167 shown in FIG. 10. The assembly of spring and cartridge isthen moved upwardly through the sleeve 171 and the projection 172 isfitted into the vertical slot 173. When the projection 172 reaches theend of this slot the cartridge is rotated about 90, which disposes theprojection in the vertical slot 174 (FIG. 15). At the time of thisrotation the clip 177 is held in its upward position, as shown in FIG.10, which disposes the slot 186 (FIG. 14) in the inner finger 184opposite this transverse slot 176. The cartridge projection 172 thenfits in this slot 186, as shown in FIG. 13. The compression of thespring 168 urges the projection 172 downwardly, as viewed in FIG. 10,and accordingly this downward urging combined with the slanted lowersurface of the slot 186 (FIG. 14) insures that the projection will stayin the sleeve slot 174 and will not attempt to move into the trasverseslot 176.

In operating the pen of FIGS. 10 through 16 the writing tip 169 isnormally retracted, as shown in FIG. 11, and the user grasps the pen inthe normal writing position and then slides the clip toward the writingtip with his index finger, as shown in FIG. 16. When the writing tip 169is projected, the user continues the pressure of his index fingeragainst the clip I77, causing the ball plates 178 to pass through theslots 179. The downward force of compression spring 168 drives theinclined end 175 against the bottom ends of slots 179 to lock thewriting tip in the extended position shown in FIG. 10, thereby holdingthe clip 177 against the sliding motion. When the user is finished hepresses his index finger against the upper end of clip 177 to rotate theball plates 178 out and the compression spring thereupon takes over,retracting the writing tip 179 to its retracted position, shown in FIG.11.

Modification of FIGS. 17 through 20 Referring to FIGS 17 through 20there is illustrated a modified form of clip and cartridge actuatorconnected to the clip. A lower pen barrell90 is threaded to an upper penbarrel section 191, having a pair of upper clip slots 192 and a singlerectangular ball opening 193, shown best in FIG. 20. Mounted within thebarrelsections 190 and 191 is a reciprocating cartridge 194 which has anenlarged section 196 substantially filling the upper barrel 191. Ifdesired a guide sleeve 197 may be secured to the interior of barrelmember 191 to guide the upper end of the cartridge 194.

Referring now to the clip, a clip body 198 has a pair of inwardlyprojecting plates 199 which project through the slots 192 at a placeconsiderably spaced from the upper end of the clip body 198. From theseinwardly projecting plates 199 to the upper tip of the clip 198, thereare generally inclined ribs 201 which cause the upper end of the clip tomove outwardly as shown in FIG. 17. The ribs 201 have a flat portion 200which acts as a fulcrum point for rotating the clip 198 when it is inthe position shown in FIG. 17. The bottom edges of plates 199 are angledat 205 to move the clip 198 inwardly to the position shown in FIG. 18when the clip is bodily moved downwardly. Secured to the inner ends ofthese clip plates 199 is a cartridge engager 202 which has a T" shapedupper end 203 which fits in slots in those plates. The lower inner tipof the plates 199 are slit and are bent inwardly to secure thiscartridge engager 202 as shown in FIG. 21. The clip 198 also hasinwardly projecting ball plates 204, and it will be noted that the edgeof these plates toward the top of the clip is flatted as at 206 to forma lock when this flat is pushed against the upper edge of the opening193.

The cartridge is shown in its retracted position in FIG. 17, even thoughthe front of the pen which is the tip is omitted, and when it is desiredto extend the writing tip the clip 198 is manually moved downwardlyuntil the ball plates 204 enter the sidewall opening 193. A compressionspring (not shown) forces the cartridge 194 upwardly, and this pulls theball flat 206 against the upper edge of the opening 193 to lock thecartridge in its extended position. When it is desired to retract thewriting tip, the upper end of the clip body is pressed inwardly, andthis causes the ball plates 204 to leave the aperture 193, and thecompression spring moves the clip and cartridge upwardly. In thisretracted position the enlargement 196 on the cartridge will cover theopening 193, thus avoiding an unsightly appearance. In this retractedposition the cartridge engager 202 acts as a spring pressing against theinner side of the upper body member 191 so as to give a good grip on apocket edge for a clip.

While the invention has been described with reference to plates fittingthrough side wall slots or openings, it will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art that the same general type of locking action can beobtained by having the ball plates or ball of the clip fit within acomplementary recess in a thick wall of a pen. Accordingly, the use ofthe word opening" in a sidewall is not limited to thfough openings, butincludes similar functional structures. Various other modifications willoccur to those skilled in the art, and accordingly the present inventionis not limited to the precise structures illustrated. The invention isnot necessarily limited to a writing tip that excludes a pigment.

Figs. 22 to 26 These figures of the drawings illustrate a writingimplement or instrument 30 which is generally similar to thoseillustrated in FIG. 5, FIG. 7 and FIGS. 17 to 19. Consequently, theimplement 30 is shown only fragmentarily in FIGS. 22 to 26, and only thedifferences over the embodiments referred to will be described indetail.

The writing implement 30 includes a barrel 32 having a cap 34 threadedlyconnected thereto and forming an extension thereof. A writing cartridge36, which may be of any type whatsoever, is disposed in the barrel 32and extends into the cap 34, terminating within the cap in an inner end38 which is preferably flat and perpendicular to the axis of the writingimplement. The writing cartridge 36 terminates at its other end in awriting tip, not shown, of any desired type. Preferably, the writingcartridge 36 is biased toward the cap end of the barrel 32 by a springin much the same manner as the spring 144a biases the writing cartridge153 of FIG. 7, for example.

The cap 34 is provided adjacent its junction with the barrel 32 with anopening 40. Longitudinally aligned with the opening 40 is a longitudinalslot 42 in the cap 34 adjacent to the end 44 thereof. Within the cap 34adjacent the end 44 thereof is a groove 46 having side walls 48interconnected by a wall 50 inclined relative to the axis of the writingimplement 30.

The writing implement 30 also includes a pocket clip 52 which isslidable longitudinally on the barrel 32, or, more specifically, the cap34, and which has means 54 so connecting it to the cartridge 36 as toextend and permit retraction of the cartridge in response tolongitudinal sliding movement of the clip toward and away from thewriting tip.

More particularly, the connecting means 54 extends into the cap 34through the slot 42 and terminates within the cap in an actuator 56slidable in the groove 46 between the positions shown in FIGS. 22 and23, the former corresponding to the retracted position of the cartridge36 and the latter corresponding to the extended position thereof. Theactuator 56 has a flat surface 58 seated against the flat inner end 38of the cartridge 36. The actuator 56 is also provided with an inclinedsurface 60 which is complementary to the inclined wall 50 of the groove46 and which is slidable therealong to displace the actuator laterallyoutwardly relative to the barrel 32 as shown in FIG. 22, as the actuatormoves longitudinally in the direction of retraction movement of thecartridge 36. As the actuator 56 reaches its position corresponding tothe retracted position of the cartridge 36, a notch 62 in the portion ofthe connecting means 54 which is disposed in the slot 42 receivestherein a portion 64 of the cap 34 adjacent the corresponding end of theslot 42. This locks the clip 52 and the actuator 56 against laterallyinward movement when the cartridge 36 is in its retracted position. Theend portion 66 of the clip 52 which is located adjacent the connectingmeans 54 is slightly narrower than the slot 42, as will be clear fromFIG. 24, so that it can be pushed into the slot slightly for a reasonwhich will become apparent.

The actuator 56 is provided on opposite sides thereof with resilienttabs 70 which diverge laterally toward the slot 42, as best shown inFIG. 25. When the actuator 56 is initially inserted into the cap 34through the slot 42 during assembly, the tabs 70 flex toward each otheruntil they have passed through the slot, and then spring away from eachother, as shown in FIG. 25, to prevent withdrawal of the actuator. Thus,during assembly, it is merely necessary to snap the actuator 56 intoplace and it will automatically remain in assembled relation with theother components, which is an important feature.

The pocket clip 52 terminates at its free end in a ball portion 72 whichis insertable into the hole 40 when the cartridge 36 is extended, asshown in FIG. 23. The ball portion 72 is provided with a shoulder 74,preferably substantially perpendicular to the axis of the writingimplement 30, which is engageable with a complementary shoulder 76 atthe corresponding end of the opening 40 to hold the cartridge 36 in itsextended position. In order to release the cartridge 36 so that thepreviously mentioned spring can return it to its retracted position, itis merely necessary to press laterally inwardly on the end portion 66 ofthe clip 52. This causes the clip 52 to pivot about the point 78,whereupon the ball portion 72 is withdrawn from the opening 40 todisengage the shoulder 74 from the shoulder 76. When this occurs, ofcourse, the retracting spring moves the cartridge 36 to its retractedposition as shown in FIG. 22. At the same time, the actuator 56 isdisplaced longitudinally and laterally outwardly into its lockedposition, as shown in FIG. 22, wherein the cap portion 64 is within thenotch 62.

Turning now to another and very important feature of the writingimplement 30, the pocket clip 52, the actuator 56 and the tabs 70 areall integral and are molded in one piece from a suitable plastic. Thishas the important advantage of achieving substantial economy inmanufacture. 1

In order to permit making the clip 52, the actuator 56 and the tabs 70of a suitable plastic without having to thicken and/or widen the clip 52excessively, an important feature of the present invention is to providethe clip with a I'CII'IfOI'CC ment 82 of a different material,preferably metallic. In the particular construction illustrated, thereinforcement 82 in simply a longitudinally extending wire disposed in alongitudinally extending groove 84 in the outer surface of the clip 52,the ends 86 of the wire extending laterally inwardly into complementaryopenings in the plastic of the clip, as shown in FIG. 22. The wire 82may be molded into place during the molding operation by which theone-piece structure comprising the clip 52, actuator 56 and tabs 70 ismade, or, preferably, it may be installed after the molding operation.

The foregoing construction for the clip 52 and the components formedintegrally therewith results in a very inexpensive structure whichrequires no finishing and which has the necessary strength, flexibilityand resilience for the clip 52 without making the clip excessivelythickor wide. If desired, the reinforcing wire 82 may be plated, or otherwisefinished, prior to combining it with the clip 52 and the componentsintegral therewith.

It is thought that the operation of the writing implement 30 will beclear from FIGS. 22 and 23. Briefly, to extend the cartridge 36, it ismerely necessary to press longitudinally on the end portion 66 of theclip 52 until the cartridge 36 is extended and the ball portion 72 dropsinto the opening 40 to cause the shoulders 74 and 76 to enter intointerlocked engagement. Entry of the ball portion 72 into the opening 40is caused by the inherent resilience of the clip 52 provided primarilyby the reinforcing wire 82. In this connection, it should be pointed outthat the actuator 56 is provided with another inclined surface 88 whichengages the corresponding end surface of the slot 42 at 90 to cam theactuator laterally inwardly to insure that the ball portion 72 of theclip enters the opening 40. To release the cartridge unit 36 for returnmovement to its retracted position, it is merely necessary to presslaterally inwardly on the end portion 66 of the clip 52 as hereinbeforetreme of reciprocation and retracted within the barrel at the otherextreme;

c. a clip slidingly mounted on the barrel between the barrel ends forlongitudinal movement, and having a portion that fits within the sidewall opening at one extreme of sliding motion and out of contact withthe side wall opening at the other extreme of sliding motion; and

d. means interconnecting the clip and the cartridge to project thecartridge tip out of the end opening when the clip is slid to theposition that said portion can fit into the side wall opening, and theclip permitting the cartridge to be retracted when the clip is at theother extreme of its sliding motion.

2. A writing instrument as defined in claim 1 wherein the clip ismounted at the end of the barrel from which the writing tip projects andis located at the part of the barrel that the users fingers will keepthe ball clip in the side wall opening to keep the writing tipprojected.

3. A writing instrument as defined in claim 1 wherein the clip ismounted at the end of the barrel opposite from the end from which thewriting tip projects, and a separate spring holds the clip ball in thesidewall opening to hold the tip projected during writing.

4. A writing instrument as defined in claim 1 wherein a cartridge springurges the cartridge to a tip retracted position, and the contact of theclip ball with the side wall opening holds the cartridge in its tipprojected position against the spring bias.

5. A writing instrument as defined in claim 1 wherein a spring urges thecartridge to a tip retracted position, and the same spring acts on theclip to urge it toward the extreme of its sliding motion where the clipball is out of contact with the side wall opening.

6. A writing instrument as defined in claim wherein the meansinterconnecting the clip and the cartridge is an inner extension of partof the clip, and the spring acts through the cartridge to apply a torqueto the clip to hold the clip ball in the sidewall opening to lock thecartridge in its tip projected position.

7. A writing instrument as defined in claim 3 wherein the meansinterconnecting the clip and the cartridge also contains a clip springfor holding the clip ball in the side wall opening.

8. A writing instrument as defined in claim 1 wherein one part of thecartridge has a reduced section profile in one transverse dimension anda thin section uniform profile in the other transverse dimension andyoke fingers engage the reduced section to act as the means forinterconnecting the cartridge and clip, said uniform profile of thecartridge being able to pass between the yoke fingers and the yokefingers engaging the reduced section when the cartridge is rotated 90.

9. A writing instrument as defined in claim 1 wherein the means forinterconnecting the clip and cartridge includes a projection on thecartridge, an elongated transversely slotted longitudinal memberdisposed inside the barrel and connected to the clip for longitudinalmovement, and a bayonet slot formed in a stationary member inside thebarrel, so that the projection may be inserted in the transverse slotthrough the bayonet slots and held therein by the elongated member beingpositioned for reciprocation in part of the bayonet slot.

10. A writing instrument as defined in claim 1 wherein the reciprocatingcartridge is of a length to extend past the side wall opening whenretracted, and has a diameter to substantially fill the interior of thebarrel at the region of the sidewall opening when retracted, and has aportion of reduced diameter opposite the side wall opening whenextended, to provide room for the clip ball to project through the sidewall opening.

11. A writing instrument as defined in claim 4 wherein the clip is alsohinged to the barrel for rotation of the clip to move the clip ball intoand out of the side wall opening and the clip ball has a flat on theside of the ball away from the writing tip, said flat having an acuteangle up to perpendicular with the adjacent barrel portion, said flatand side wall opening acting as a lock to hold the tip projected againstthe bias of the cartridge spring.

12. A writing instrument as set forth in claim 1 wherein the clip has aninwardly projecting portion cut on a taper engaging the barrel so thatsliding of the clip moves it radially outwardly when the writing tip isretracted and a resilient stop limits outward movement, so that the clipball will move outwardly to grip a pocket edge in the tip retractedcondition of the writing equipment when the upper end of the clip ismanually pressed.

13. A writing instrument as set forth in claim 5 wherein the ball has aninclined surface on the side away from the writing tip that isnon-perpendicular and at an angle that forces the ball into the openingunder the urging of the cartridge spring, to thereby hold the writingtip in an extended position.

14. A writing instrument as set forth in claim 1 characterized by theclip being hinged to the barrel in addition to being slidingly mountedand the ball riding on the exterior surface of the barrel when the tipis not projected so that the transverse blows and forces on the clipwill not extend the writing tip.

15. A writing instrument as set forth in claim 1 wherein the clip isalso hinged to the pen barrel for rotation from a position where theclip ball is inserted in the barrel opening to a position where the ballis out of the barrel opening.

16. A writing instrument comprising:

a. a barrel having two ends, an opening at one end and a side wallopening;

b. a cartridge reciprocable within. the barrel and having a writing tipprojected through the end opening atone extreme of reciprocation andretracted within the barrel at the other extreme;

c. a clip disposed on the barrel between the barrel ends for relativemovement, and having a ball portion that fits within the side wallopening;

d. a mounting securing the clip to the barrel permitting longitudinalsliding of the clip to dispose the clip ball over the side wall openingat one extreme of sliding motion and away from the side wall opening atthe other extreme, and permitting a rotation of the clip to move theclip ball into and out of the side wall opening; and

e. means interconnecting the clip and the cartridge to project thecartridge tip out of the end opening when the clip is slid to theposition that the ball can fit into the side wall opening, and the clippermitting the cartridge to be retracted when the clip is at the otherextreme of its sliding motion.

17. A writing instrument as set forth in claim 16 wherein the mountinghinges the clip intermediate its ends so that manual pressure on the endopposite the ball will lift the ball out of the side wall opening sothat the clip can move in a direction to allow retraction of the writingtip.

18. A writing instrument as set forth in claim 1 wherein said clip isformed of plastic and includes means of a different material forreinforcing the plastic thereof.

19. A writing instrument according to claim 18 wherein said reinforcingmeans is metallic.

20. A writing instrument as defined in claim 19 wherein said metallicreinforcing means comprises at least one wire extending longitudinallyof said clip and secured to the plastic thereof.

21. A writing instrument according to claim 1 wherein said barrel has alongitudinal slot aligned with said opening and in which saidinterconnecting means is longitudinally slidable.

22. A writing instrument as defined in claim 21 including resilient tabson said interconnecting means which flex toward each other in responseto inward movement through said slot and which then spring away fromeach other to prevent withdrawal of said interconnecting means outwardlythrough said slot.

23. A writing instrument as set forth in claim 22 wherein said clip,said interconnecting means and said tabs are all integral and formed ofplastic, and wherein said clip includes means of a different materialfor reinforcing the plastic thereof.

24. A writing instrument according to claim 1 including interengageablemeans in said barrel and said interconnecting reinforcing the plasticthereof.

27. An instrument according to claim 26 wherein said reinforcing meansis metallic.

28. An instrument as defined in claim 27 wherein said metallicreinforcing means comprises at least one wire extending longitudinallyof said clip and secured to the plastic thereof.

1. A writing instrument comprising: a. a barrel having a fixed lengthwith two ends, an opening at one end and a side wall opening; b. acartridge reciprocable within the barrel and having a writing tipprojected through the end opening at one extreme of reciprocation andretracted within the barrel at the other extreme; c. a clip slidinglymounted on the barrel between the barrel ends for longitudinal movement,and having a portion that fits within the side wall opening at oneextreme of sliding motion and out of contact with the side wall openingat the other extreme of sliding motion; and d. means interconnecting theclip and the cartridge to project the cartridge tip out of the endopening when the clip is slid to the position that said portion can fitinto the side wall opening, and the clip permitting the cartridge to beretracted when the clip is at the other extreme of its sliding motion.2. A writing instrument as defined in claim 1 wherein the clip ismounted at the end of the barrel from which the writing tip projects andis located at the part of the barrel that the user''s fingers will keepthe ball clip in the side wall opening to keep the writing tipprojected.
 3. A writing instrument as defined in claim 1 wherein theclip is mounted at the end of the barrel opposite from the end fromwhich the writing tip projects, and a separate spring holds the clipball in the sidewall opening to hold the tip projected during writing.4. A writing instrument as defined in claim 1 wherein a cartridge springurges the cartridge to a tip retracted position, and the contact of theclip ball with the side wall opening holds the cartridge in its tipprojected position against the spring bias.
 5. A writing instrument asdefined in claim 1 wherein a spring urges the cartridge to a tipretracted position, and the same spring acts on the clip to urge ittoward the extreme of its sliding motion where the clip ball is out ofcontact with the side wall opening.
 6. A writing instrument as definedin claim 5 wherein the means interconnecting the clip and the cartridgeis an inner extension of part of the clip, and the spring acts throughthe cartridge to apply a torque to the clip to hold the clip ball in thesidewall opening to lock the cartridge in its tip projected position. 7.A writing instrument as defined in claim 3 wherein the meansinterconnecting the clip and the cartridge also contains a clip springfor holding the clip ball in the side wall opening.
 8. A writinginstrument as defined in claim 1 wherein one part of the cartridge has areduced section profile in one transverse dimension and a thin sectionuniform profile in the other transverse dimension and yoke fingersengage the reduced section to act as the means for interconnecting thecartridge and clip, said uniform profile of the cartridge being able topass between the yoke fingers and the yoke fingers engaging the reducedsection when the cartridge is rotated 90*.
 9. A writing instrument asdefined in claim 1 wherein the means for interconnecting the clip andcartridge includes a projection on the cartridge, an elongatedtransversely slotted longitudinal member disposed inside the barrel andconnected to the clip for longitudinal movement, and a bayonet slotformed in a stationary member inside the barrel, so that the projectionmay be inserted in the transverse slot through the bayonet slots andheld therein by the elongated member being positioned for reciprocationin part of the bayonet slot.
 10. A writing instrument as defined inclaim 1 wherein the reciprocating cartridge is of a length to extendpast the side wall opening when retracted, and has a diameter tosubstantially fill the interior of the barrel at the region of thesidewall opening when retracted, and has a portion of reduced diameteropposite the side wall opening when extended, to provide room for theclip ball to project through the side wall opening.
 11. A writinginstrument as defined in claim 4 wherein the clip is also hinged to thebarrel for rotation of the clip to move the clip ball into and out ofthe side wall opening and the clip ball has a flat on the side of theball away from the writing tip, said flat having an acute angle up toperpendicular with the adjacent barrel portion, said flat and side wallopening acting as a lock to hold the tip projected against the bias ofthe cartridge spring.
 12. A writing instrument as set forth in claim 1wherein the clip has an inwardly projecting portion cut on a taperengaging the barrel so that sliding of the clip moves it radiallyoutwardly when the writing tip is retracted and a resilient stop limitsoutward movement, so that the clip ball will move outwardly to grip apocket edge in the tip retracted condition of the writing equipment whenthe upper end of the clip is manually pressed.
 13. A writing instrumentas set forth in claim 5 wherein the ball has an inclined surface on theside away from the writing tip that is non-perpendicular and at an anglethat forces the ball into the opening under the urging of the cartridgespring, to thereby hold the writing tip in an extended position.
 14. Awriting instrument as set forth in claim 1 characterized by the clipbeing hinged to the barrel in addition to being slidingly mounted andthe ball riding on the exterior surface of the barrel when the tip isnot projected so that the transverse blows and forces on the clip willnot extend the writing tip.
 15. A writing instrument as set forth inclaim 1 wherein the clip is also hinged to the pen barrel for rotationfrom a position where the clip ball is inserted in the barrel opening toa position where the ball is out of the barrel opening.
 16. A writinginstrument comprising: a. a barrel having two ends, an opening at oneend anD a side wall opening; b. a cartridge reciprocable within thebarrel and having a writing tip projected through the end opening at oneextreme of reciprocation and retracted within the barrel at the otherextreme; c. a clip disposed on the barrel between the barrel ends forrelative movement, and having a ball portion that fits within the sidewall opening; d. a mounting securing the clip to the barrel permittinglongitudinal sliding of the clip to dispose the clip ball over the sidewall opening at one extreme of sliding motion and away from the sidewall opening at the other extreme, and permitting a rotation of the clipto move the clip ball into and out of the side wall opening; and e.means interconnecting the clip and the cartridge to project thecartridge tip out of the end opening when the clip is slid to theposition that the ball can fit into the side wall opening, and the clippermitting the cartridge to be retracted when the clip is at the otherextreme of its sliding motion.
 17. A writing instrument as set forth inclaim 16 wherein the mounting hinges the clip intermediate its ends sothat manual pressure on the end opposite the ball will lift the ball outof the side wall opening so that the clip can move in a direction toallow retraction of the writing tip.
 18. A writing instrument as setforth in claim 1 wherein said clip is formed of plastic and includesmeans of a different material for reinforcing the plastic thereof.
 19. Awriting instrument according to claim 18 wherein said reinforcing meansis metallic.
 20. A writing instrument as defined in claim 19 whereinsaid metallic reinforcing means comprises at least one wire extendinglongitudinally of said clip and secured to the plastic thereof.
 21. Awriting instrument according to claim 1 wherein said barrel has alongitudinal slot aligned with said opening and in which saidinterconnecting means is longitudinally slidable.
 22. A writinginstrument as defined in claim 21 including resilient tabs on saidinterconnecting means which flex toward each other in response to inwardmovement through said slot and which then spring away from each other toprevent withdrawal of said interconnecting means outwardly through saidslot.
 23. A writing instrument as set forth in claim 22 wherein saidclip, said interconnecting means and said tabs are all integral andformed of plastic, and wherein said clip includes means of a differentmaterial for reinforcing the plastic thereof.
 24. A writing instrumentaccording to claim 1 including interengageable means in said barrel andsaid interconnecting means for locking said clip against laterallyinward movement when it is in its position corresponding to theretracted position of said cartridge.
 25. A writing instrument asdefined in claim 1 including means for moving said clip laterallyinwardly and outwardly in response to extension and retraction of saidcartridge.
 26. An instrument having a pocket clip which is formed ofplastic and which includes means of a different material for reinforcingthe plastic thereof.
 27. An instrument according to claim 26 whereinsaid reinforcing means is metallic.
 28. An instrument as defined inclaim 27 wherein said metallic reinforcing means comprises at least onewire extending longitudinally of said clip and secured to the plasticthereof.